THE Reading to Paddington train line could be closed over the August Bank Holiday - the weekend of Reading Festival.

Rail bosses want to close the line during the weekend for "vital track repairs" in a move transport police fear would leave thousands of revellers stranded in the town after the rock

festival, which runs from Friday, August 22, to Monday, August 25.

Track owner Network Rail is insisting the decision has not yet been taken but admits the Bank Holiday weekend has been pencilled in as its first choice.

PC Bob Maulini, from British Transport Police, said the plans could mean huge numbers of

festival visitors would have trouble getting home.

He said: "August Bank Holiday Monday is traditionally the busiest day of the year for us. If the line is closed it could cause some serious crowd control problems for us."

PC Maulini added: "I don't mean in terms of people's behaviour but just the sheer numbers - they are normally queuing round to Caversham Road and this will make things even worse."

The council's head of transport John Howarth said he was already in discussion with Network Rail.

He said: "The Bank Holiday weekend closure is not our preferred option and I have already made this point to senior managers at board level at the rail company concerned. We do understand the need to do the repairs because it is causing disruption to people from Reading every day but we have made the point pretty clearly that it is not our preferred option."

He said the council would not welcome any disruption to the rail network during the

festival - which attracts more than 100,000

revellers over the weekend - or Womad.

An urgent meeting involving the borough council, transport police, festival organiser Mean Fiddler and Network Rail will take place later this week.

Mean Fiddler refused to comment.

The proposed closure could also affect the Inland Waterways Festival being held the same weekend at Beale Park in Lower Basildon. The park expects many visitors to arrive at nearby Pangbourne station, which is on the route from Paddington to Oxford, and may provide a water taxi to ferry them along the Thames to the park.

Richard Howard, from the park, said: "Up to 35,000 visitors are expected and we would estimate between 10 and 15 per cent of them would be expecting to use that line."

A Network Rail spokesman said a whole bank holiday weekend was required to carry out the work at Slough. She added: "We are waiting to hear what the police and Reading Borough Council have to say but August Bank Holiday is our preffered option."